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The Outer Worlds 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but delivers a more refined version of a formula that worked. Better exploration and combat buoy a tight role-playing experience that feels crunchy and isn't afraid of cutting off branches depending on player skills. The overarching story is a bit more self-serious than its predecessor, but the numerous side quests still lean comedic. A few bugs aside, it's not a game to miss.
Ninja Gaiden 4 hardly re-writes the rules on what these kinds of games should look like, but fans who have been awaiting the return of the franchise may prefer this first re-entry takes things back to basics to some degree. Built in partnership between Koei, Microsoft, Team Ninja, and Platinum Games, Ninja Gaiden 4 has emerged a surprisingly coherent and confident product. Stunning and stylish hack n' slash gameplay could've been backed up with more compelling characters and story beats, but for those who simply want to carve a bloody path through endless enemies — Ninja Gaiden 4 is up there with the best of them.
Double Fine has done it again with Keeper, one of my highest rated video games of the year. Keeper will keep you guessing the entire time and in the best way possible, with outstanding visuals and an engrossing story that keeps you engaged without ever uttering a word.
I went into Silent Hill F armed with decades of Silent Hill nostalgia and a general negative view of Konami. I'd say I almost wanted to hate this game, being honest. But I found it simply impossible to do so. Every step I took through Ebisugaoka led me down an authentic Silent Hill rabbit hole filled with horrors, fresh and familiar alike—stunning artwork, immaculate music, and disturbing twists that left me aghast for hours after the fact. Silent Hill F is by no means perfect, but it's a strong return to form for the franchise, and hopefully a sign of things to come. NeoBard nailed it.
Borderlands 4 is the ultimate Vault Hunter playground, the gold standard for the series moving forward. Sure, performance can stifle the experience, and I’d kill for a Naughty Dog caliber story, but this game has me rabid for the grind, chasing bigger DPS numbers, perfecting min-max builds, and hyper-grinding.
Cronos: The New Dawn's satisfying combat, evocative environments, stellar sound work, polished performance, and inexplicably ambitious story showcase Bloober at its absolute best, solidifying their place as one of the industry's most exciting independent studios in the world. September 2025 is absolutely stacked, but horror fans absolutely must not sleep on this game.
Elden Ring Nightreign is a bold co-op roguelike offshoot from FromSoftware that creatively and satisfyingly brings Soulsborne gameplay to a new genre of RPG — even if issues with map and enemy variety hold it back from true greatness.
As it turns out, that's more than enough. DOOM: The Dark Ages is pure fun, even if it's a bit silly at times, and I'm seriously looking forward to what the team at id Software cooks up for the promised campaign DLC. Hitting a demon with a flail or watching as a dragon rips apart a Titan doesn't get old.
Skin Deep cleverly utilizes dozens upon dozens of different gameplay systems and interactions to build a fun, immersive sim that feels great to play. The art and visuals are suited to the comical tone, and there's always more secrets to find. Crashing and instability is a problem, though, especially toward the end of the story.
Sandfall Interactive's debut RPG perfectly fuses the deep strategy of turn-based combat with the satisfying challenge and mastery of real-time action games, resulting in a wholly unique experience that sets itself apart. Together with the game's stellar storytelling, jaw-dropping presentation, and good overall performance, that makes it one of 2025's must-play titles — and a huge release for Xbox Game Pass.
Split Fiction proves that Hazelight Studios isn't done defining what co-op games can be, with excellent gameplay and unique level design that stays fresh throughout the entire experience.
The first Citizen Sleeper used beautiful, haunting lines of prose to thread together a deep, engrossing world, and its sequel builds on that with refined gameplay and more locations to explore. It's almost the perfect sequel to one of my favorite Xbox Game Pass titles, but a wider world does mean a little less depth as well.
Two Point Museum is everything you expect and love about a Two Point County game, wth classic characters from the franchise returning for a good history lesson. But Two Point Studios, the developers behind the series, fail to learn from the past and continue to skimp out on subtitles while still missing the mark on controller mapping.
If you appreciate anime, you'll love the story of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. If you like minigames, look no further. If you miss Assassin's Creed Black Flag, get ready to plunder.
I'm not a fan of the game's price and DLC release schedule, which were already in place before the game has even launched. I recommend you start with the base game, see if you like the changes to the series, and then branch out into DLCs. There's more than enough content available in the base game for hundreds of hours of playtime.
While the absence of being able to select from a roster of heroes pains me, the across-the-board gains to other gameplay systems, as a result, pay off. Especially after the disaster that was Dynasty Warriors 9, Origins gets Omega Force back to their roots in a way I didn't know I craved. A must-buy for any fan of the series.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is more of a live service than a standalone game, one that continues to recover from a catastrophic launch. It relies so heavily on streaming its assets and world textures from the cloud that it's plain to see how its offerings could disappear should the service ever shut down. Nonetheless, Asobo Studio's developers have worked tirelessly to recover this visually breathtaking but temperamental simulator into something that appeals to a broader audience rather than a tight-knit niche. It could become a category-leading example of post-launch improvements if it continues its upward trajectory, and I encourage everyone to try it at least once.
Combat and platforming controls remain unchanged, which benefits Soul Reaver 1 but hinders Soul Reaver 2 and its clunky movement tweaks. Both games flaunt lavish character upgrades and stunning re-renders of the original's cutscenes. Still, environment texture upscales are often unnoticeable, and the lack of video options is a sore point, especially as the all-new map screen misbehaves on 16:10 screens at launch.
With cinematic flair straight out of the original movies, MachineGames proves it understands the world's most iconic Nazi-fighting archeologist. With fun exploration, dangerous puzzles, and a few twists up its sleeves, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is sure to satisfy the cravings of anyone eager for an old-school adventure.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl stands tall as one of the most captivating open-world shooters I've ever played, with palpable atmosphere and deeply rewarding exploration that kept me glued to my seat along with addictively intense and dynamic action that kept me on the edge of it. Some major issues with certain mutant encounters and noteworthy bugs and performance snags take away from the experience, but even so, The Zone will engross you with its haunting wonders. There's truly nothing else like it.